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Church of St. John the Divine
July 19, 2009
This gorgeous Sunday afternoon found me back on the pipe organ beat, this time at the Church of Saint John Divine, a reminder that Christ Church is not the only Anglican establishment in town with an organ and a notable history of music making. The occasion was a benefit recital by Garth MacPhee, an erstwhile organist at Saint John's, and now Music Director at Montreal's Church of Saint John the Evangelist.
The beneficiary of the recital was the church roof. It is my sincere hope never to be reincarnated as a church roof. It seems that all of them are constantly on the verge of sloughing off this mortal coil, though apparently Saint John's roof has lasted almost a century.
The first half of the programme was devoted to North German composers of the seventeenth century, beginning with Dieterich Buxtehude's Praeludium in F-sharp (BuxWV 146). The initial, very free section, of this piece was given a nicely relaxed performance. The intensity built in the concluding fugal portion of the work.
I had never before heard a recital on this organ, but it was immediately apparently that it is much less grand than the new instrument a little further down Quadra Street. The acoustic in Saint John's, which is so suited to chamber music, is a little too dry to show off an organ to best advantage. The location of the instrument, half on each side of the chancel, is not ideal either. (Christ Church's instrument is at the back of the nave, which allows the sound to thunder down the length of the church.) Still, Saint John's organ nicely fills the space.
Next up was a Toccata in G by Heinrich Scheidemann (1595-1663), who served as organist at Hamburg's Catherinenkirke for more than thirty years, after having studied with Sweelinck. Although nominally a toccata, the Scheidemann proved to be a highly tuneful piece. MacPhee nicely highlighted the lovely melodies with his choice of registration. I very much enjoyed this sensitive performance of a composition of understated beauty.
In some remarks to the audience, MacPhee stated that he aimed in his performance to "evoke and recall" the human voice. This was particularly evident in the next part of the programme, beginning with Samuel Scheidt's (1587-1654) Cantio Sacra: Warum betrübstu dich mein Hertz. The Scheidt was given a performance full of drama. This was telling a story without using words. MacPhee took full advantage of the resources of the organ to give colour to the narration.
The Scheidt was followed by two later chorales, both by J.S. Bach (Jesus Christus, unser Heiland, BWV 665 and Herr Jesu Christ, dich zu uns wend, BWV 655). Although some of Bach's chorales are, like Scheidt's, quite narrative and full of drama, the two performed on this occasion are more about creating an evocative atmosphere, and MacPhee was successful in conjuring up the appropriate ambiances. In particular, BWV 655 was endowed with an airy delicacy.
The first half concluded with Bach's Praeludium and fuga in a minor, BWV 543. This was the sort of industrial strength organ music that first comes to mind when one thinks of Bach's organ compositions. It was here, particularly in the majestic fugue, that I missed the raw horsepower of the Christ Church organ. Still, MacPhee gave the work lots of texture and variety.
The second half of the programme was devoted to two organ works by Mendelssohn: the Andante in D with Variations and the Sonata IV in B-flat. The first of these is a composition of gentle loveliness and MacPhee gave a suitably sensitive and beautiful performance, each variation subtly but individually characterized.
The Sonata IV is in four movements. I felt that the first (Allegro con brio) was a little leaden, a little lacking in brio. The following movement (Andante religioso), on the other hand, was nicely rendered: appropriately serene. I began to think that it is in introspective and contemplative music that MacPhee most excels. This was confirmed when he came to the Allegretto, which was tenderly rendered. The Allegro maestoso e vivace provided the grand finale that seems requisite in all organ recitals. It gave MacPhee an opportunity to show off his technique. An organ with a bit more welly would have given him even more opportunity to show off.
Despite the glorious weather, a decent crowd of people turned out, though whether they were passionate about organ music or church roofs I cannot say. The audience was certainly treated to a delighted afternoon of music making and I certainly hope that the church gets a new roof soon. It would be a shame if rain were to ruin what is surely one of the prettiest churches in Victoria.
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